Iranian Biomedical Journal

Iranian Biomedical Journal

Organizational Barriers Affecting Nurses' Performance in Maintaining Patient Safety: A Qualitative Study

Authors
Farideh Namadi
Leyla Alilu
Hossein Habibzadeh
10.61186/ibj.25th-11th-IACRTIMSS
Abstract
Introduction: Patient safety is among the most important elements in providing high-quality healthcare services. The primary function of patient safety is to prevent healthcare-related errors. As the largest group of health service providers and human factors in the system, nurses play an important role in maintaining patient safety, but they have not always been successful. Organizational factors are one of the most effective factors in the failure to maintain patient safety. Therefore, this study aimed to explain the organizational barriers affecting the performance of nurses in maintaining patient safety.

Methods and Materials: This qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis. The participants were 20 nurses purposely selected from hospitals in Iran. Face-to-face, semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted to collect data. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis by Granheim and Lundman.

Results: The analysis of the participants' experiences led to the discovery of 5 main categories of devaluation of education, having inappropriate attitudes, unprofessional behaviors, resistance to change and training, and unprofessional intimacy hindering effective management. The devaluation of modern education to patients by the system - The devaluation of higher education in nurses by the system Devaluation of education -One-dimensional attention to the care process - lack of belief in involving the family in the care process -Fear of losing position with the progress of other nurses Having inappropriate attitudes -Routine combination of drugs for injection -Receiving incorrect training from other nurses - The silence of the head-nurse when informed about medical errors -The presence of insensitive and negligent colleagues -Devaluing nursing procedures Unprofessional behaviors -Failure to accept correct educations about procedures -The resistance of some officials to positive changes. Not allowing some departments to implement helpful interventions Resistance to change and training -non-observance of hierarchy due to intimacy -Intimate relationships between colleagues hinder management. -Intimacy hinders correct judgment. Unprofessional intimacy hinders effective management.

Conclusion and Discussion: The results of the present study showed that most nurses face organizational obstacles in maintaining patient safety. Knowing them helps policymakers and nursing managers reduce these obstacles by designing and implementing interventions.



Keywords
Nurses
Patient Safety
organizations
Iranian Biomedical Journal
Volume 28, Special Issue-October 2024 - Serial Number 116
November and December 2024
Pages 427-427